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June 27, 2011

I like style when it’s fun. When it’s playful and has a sense of humour, when it’s innocent and when it doesn’t take itself seriously. Just like a child.

For me, letting my inner child coming out to play is not something infantile, naive, simple or sticky sweet – it’s rather honest, carefree and self-confident.

It’s so important for me to be able to retain my ability to see the world as new, just like I did when I was a child. To find beauty in the smallest things, and to constantly look for it in places that grown-ups gave up long ago.

When I feel grumpy, fed up, negative and tired, I try to see the world around me with new eyes. To wonder at the world is one sure way of pulling yourself out of many a dark place.

Enjoy beauty in an around you and have fun in getting dressed! Have a beautiful week!

What I wore: I bought the bird-ring at Museum Night last Friday, a night when all museums are open well into the night and host programs, concerts, shows… The Museum of Applied Art hosted a fair and that’s where I met my little bird.

June 26, 2011

The Beauty of Bloggers

"Once a month, I pour through the links that the amazing members of IFB submit. Typically, I sit late Wednesday night after a long day and read through the thoughtful, helpful, stylish and beautiful posts that you guys submit. It is in these moments that I am truly in awe of how talented and gracious this community is. Full of spirited bloggers that discuss everything from the latest neon trend to the body pressures of fashion blogging. We are a diverse and dynamic group, connected through our mutual love of style and tireless support and encouragement of one another.
This week’s links are a testament to the beauty of blogging. Through eloquent prose, enigmatic portraits and style lessons from a mother to her daughter, IFB is rich with love and of course great style."

Every week, Independent Fashion Bloggers submit links to their best posts, and IFB's editors choose twenty links from those submitted. Every chosen blog publishes the whole list of links - this is what you can see above. You may also spot my Illustrated Shoot post being featured, which is an absolute honour and makes me so happy!

The best thing of LALM is being inspired to write/photograph/put together posts that would interest and capture your readers. Also, being inspired to share your creativity with others and in turn, inspire them!

If you haven't tried submitting a post yet, but would like to, check out Vahni's explanation at Grit and Glamour - she even illustrated the steps with screenshots, cannot be easier! The only thing you need is a blogpost you want to share with other Independent Fashion Bloggers. :)

June 24, 2011

Surprising piece of news of the day: I slept on a roughly three centimetres (one inch) thick matress on the floor. In our own flat. Why, you might ask? The small of my back has been behaving strangely lately. Getting sort of stuck when I bent down, or turned to the side. I’ve been crazy anxious about this, so I decided to see what happens if I slept on a flat, hard surface instead of a real bed. And my back is so much better now! (Fingers crossed, knock on wood, and everything else you should do…)

Have you ever had similar problems with your back? If so, what did you do to solve them? Please share, I’d like to get my poor back back to it’s normal state.

Now that we’re talking about my back, do you think I should paint anything on it? I don’t mean my skin of course but this shirt. I bought it second hand, and it’s probably military surplus, so I’m wondering how to „pacify” it.

The bag I’m wearing is a military one too, but I’m really a „Make Love Not War” type of person, so I painted the mermaid on it to make it more wearable. (Her eyes look sort of funny on this picture. Sorry, mermaid!) If you’re interested, I used acrylic paint, it works really well on canvas, obviously. :) So, should I paint something on the back of the shirt? A dove? Another mermaid? Some lettering? Ideas are very welcome!

I couldn’t help taking close-ups of this wonderful necklace as my Mum made it. She’s a ceramicist and this heart is one of my favourite designs of hers. It’s two people holding each other’s faces, a perfect symbol of love. Which reminds me - thank you Boyfriend, for sleeping on the floor with me. :)

What I wore:

Jeans: Takko, Dress: Promod, with the belt used as a scarf (somebody actually asked me if I made the dress because it matched my headband), Shoes: Auchan (again I'm the epitome of classy:), Shirt and Bag: Second hand, Ring: H&M, Necklace: By my Mum.

Oh, and great news! My Illustrated Shoot was chosen for the Links a la Mode this week! My drawings and me are so honoured and very happy. :) Thank you IFB!

Another piece of surprising news: I won a giveaway! Never in my life have I won anything that needed luck. I still can’t believe it! Lovely Leanne over at The Violet Reaction gave away the mini wallet made by her own fair hands. Check out her great tutorial on how to make one, there are a lot of pictures and a lot of humour included, so I’m sure you’ll feel like making one. Check out her blog anyway if you haven't before, she's one of my absolutel favourite bloggers. So young and such a style genious!

Positive energies to all of my Lovely Readers, the weekend is only a day away! Bye for now!

I decided that it would be futile to try and feature every cool Budapest thing, (obviously there are too many of them :) so I chose a focus - Art Nouveau. This way I can show you some of my favourite places and also provide a whole weekend's entertainment for those who really plan to visit for a weekend. :)

Some places I included are the Museum of Applied Art...

Ruin pubs...

And my favourite, the Gellért Baths...

Visit Ruth's blog for more pictures and Art Nouveau things to do in Budapest!

Would you like to introduce your city too? Don't hesitate to contact her!

June 17, 2011

SUMMER FUN

"Summer is here and it's very exciting to see the change in everyone's wardrobe and more pop of color. Inspiration roams the streets at every corner! It's hypnotizing. It's hard to keep money in my pocket... I'm sure many of you can relate. Besides what I observe outside, Fashion blogs are a key influence to my style. Bloggers constantly make me smile from ear to ear and from season to season as I watch them transform.

Every week, Independent Fashion Bloggers submit links to their best posts, and IFB's editors choose twenty links from those submitted. Every chosen blog publishes the whole list of links - and this week, one of my posts is featured! I can't tell you how absolutely delighted I am!

If you haven't tried submitting a post yet, but would like to, check out Vahni's explanation at Grit and Glamour - she even illustrated the steps with screenshots, cannot be easier! The only thing you need is a blogpost you want to share with other Independent Fashion Bloggers. :)

June 16, 2011

Oh, girls, it’s one of those days. I'm sure it happened to you before that you weren't happy about your pictures. I still edited some anyway after work then got up and went out to buy an inordinate amount of fruit. I ate a whole melon, then I sat down again, and... I was still unhappy with the pictures. Even after devouring a melon! What an outrageous day!

So I looked at some of your blogs, then dicarded the edited pictures and chose some totally different ones.

It’s inevitable, sometimes I’m just unsure of my choices. But then I look around at your blogs and gather courage to share. What’s more, now I can’t wait to share my pictures with you. Especially the scarf tied as a turban thing, as I loved wearing it today!

Since I started taking my own pictures and share them with you all, my attitude towards my style changed immesurably. I walk around the city with head held much higher. I feel like an ambassador of a worldwide community of people who support each other not only in their choices of clothes, but in many small ways we don’t even realise. Thank you for your encouragement, your flow of lovely comments and continual support – even when my pictures weren’t very brilliant. Exactly three months ago today I started my blog and with it, started a conversation with all of you. It feels like I got to know you a little, I hope you feel the same way too!

The stuff I wore: Blouse and Skirt: Second Hand, Sandals: Tamaris,

Scarf and Belt: H&M, Earrings: Self made

The best comes at the end - I just checked and my Bazaar Times and Handmade Products blogpost that I submitted to IFB is included in this week's Links a la Mode! I'm over the moon! Time for another melon? :)

June 9, 2011

I’m a passionate advocate of buying handmade and buying local. Mostly because it’s so much more fun browsing stalls and talking to the designers and finding things that are truly original. New ideas always inspire me to think differently too.

Gozsdu Bazaar or Gouba, a weekly bazaar for handmade products here in Budapest is held in a string of adjoining courtyards, which I’m not very good at photographing, sorry! Believe me though that the setting is really nice and very atmospheric, calm and happy, while buzzing with creative energy.

I could go on and on about why I support buying handmade, so I thought I would get some of the arguments together for those who aren't sure about buying from local designers and artists.

So let's see, why buy handmade?

Invest in Ethical Produce

Many times when I buy mass-produced jewellery I can't help but wonder who assembled it and how much money they earnt with that painstaking work. If you buy directly from the maker, or from small local shops, you can be sure your money reaches the artist directly, or only one step removed. Phew, you can forget remorse and nightmares of child labour, while the artist gets all of their money, without the interference of big companies. Win-win!

Invest in Your Area

Buying something directly from the designer-maker is the best way of ensuring that only ethical labour went into the product, and that the materials were sourced in your area. What's more, your new possession probably didn't travel very far to get into your hands.

Whether the sellers are the designers themselves or a local shop owner, by buying their bags, dresses, earrings, you support your area to grow financially, as well as artistically.

Invest in Quality

Invest in handmade pieces lovingly assembled by the designer. At a market you can discuss how to care about your new acquisition and make a note of the designer’s details to ask for help if a seam is burst, or half an earring is lost. Building a personal connection with your newest acquisition makes it more valuable – treasuring what you buy, you take care of it better. Try to look at your clothes in a different light, after all, they could all be pieces of art! If half of your earring is lost, you might just throw it out. If it’s a handmade, one-of-a-kind piece, you can contact the maker to work out a way of saving it. Quality over quantity - well-loved, well-made pieces instead of mass-produced, almost worthless stuff. It's easy to choose!

Invest in Talent

Be proud to support young talent and if you like their work, help them making more art by buying their designs. Dare to be original in your purchases, your one-of-a-kind piece might become one of your most treasured possessions. Don’t you wish you could have bought one of Coco Chanel’s early designs? :)

Don’t hold back with praise if you see a design you like. As bloggers you know how much it means to be inspired by a comment, feedback is important for designers too. Even if you don’t buy anything, your opinion and support will matter for a young talent who might emerge as an influential artist – thanks partly to you!

Most importantly: enjoy browsing and shopping, enjoy your acquisitions, enjoy connecting and reconnecting with the designers!